The Summer Tanager is the only entirely red bird in North America — the adult male is an unstreaked, deep rose-red. It has a specialized diet of bees and wasps, capturing them in flight and beating them against a branch to remove the stinger before eating. It catches flying insects on the wing with its stout, somewhat hook-tipped bill.
Best time to see a Summer Tanager
The best time to see a Summer Tanager is April–June, when about 71% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 29,491 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Summer Tanager? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Summer Tanager sightings near you
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